Officials are probing how a 51-year-old highway bridge came to collapse in the Italian port city of Genoa yesterday, killing at least 26 people and injuring 16 others as it sent dozens of vehicles tumbling into a heap of concrete and twisted steel.

UPDATE: $800k vintage car reportedly destroyed in Sydney house fire

A home in Sydney's eastern suburb of Malabar became a towering inferno after a fire broke out in its garage.

Firefighters rushed to the house on Bay Parade about 1pm after reports of flames and a loud bang "like an explosion". They found the building alight and desperately fought for more than an hour to stop the blaze spreading to nearby buildings.

It is believed that a vintage car worth up to $800,000 was destroyed in the blaze.

The fire brought down powerlines and emergency services were forced to evacuate two nearby homes and clear out an adjacent cafe as thick, dark smoke blanketed the area.

One man is understood to have been treated for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters believe it started in the house's garage and several people took to social media to report sounds of a loud bang or an explosion.

Transport for NSW said eastern suburbs buses were being diverted away from the area, causing delays.